World Toilet Day: FCT RUWASSA sensitises, inspects toilets in public places

By Stanley Onyekwere

To commemorate 2023 World Toilet Day, the FCT Directorate of Rural Water Supply and Sanitation otherwise known as FCT RUWASSA has commenced a two-day sensitisation on the uses of toilet in public places across the Territory.
Also, during the period, the FCT RUWASSA sensitisation team will inspect toilets especially public toilets constructed, as part of support from FCT Administration to help eradicate open defecation.
Flagging off the sensitization campaign across the six area councils of the territory, yesterday, in Abuja, Head of Sanitation, RUWASSA, Mrs. Aisha Bakpet, said the core objective is to educate people through talking to them on the need to have toilet, use toilet and the danger of open defecation.
Bakpet, who spoke on behalf of FCT RUWASSA’s Executive Director, Dr. Mohammed Ali Dan-Hassan, disclosed that its desk officers and wash coordinators in the Area Councils are involved in the exercise, in addition to sensitisation team deployed to the communities.
She explained that at the community level, the team will be going into the communities to let people know the danger of open defecation, given that Nigeria still ranks number 1 in the world after India for the menace.
She added that the team will be going to motor parks and markets, to educate people on the dangers of open defecation, because the sensitisation is getting across to everybody both politically exposed persons, market women, farmers, traditional leaders, and religious institutions, to ensure that everybody will be reached.

According to her, the FCT Administration and some development partners like WaterAide and Unicef decided to support RUWASSA to go round the whole communities, precisely public places, to discourage them from open defecation and for them to construct their toilets.
“We are also going to inspect toilets especially public toilets , and we have toilets that have constructed as part of support from FCT Administration to help eradicate open defecation.
“November 19, was World Toilet Day, but FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Dorectorate decided to mark it today the November 20th. And the theme of the Day for this year is accelerating change. A lot of things have gone round and changes are not being seen, because Nigeria is still ranked as number 1 in the world after India for defecating in the open. So , we want to see how we will come out from this.
“We have visited 428 communities, and we have done sensitisation and a lot of effort is being ongoing, and we are seeing visible result.
“Where we have toilets that have constructed, and people doesn’t the value of public toilets, a team will be going there to sensitise them, distribute flyers and tell them know how to construct toilets as well as making effective use.
“We should stop open defecation, currently in Nigeria, we have 105 local government areas that are open defecation free. This is not enough. And in FCT, we are still looking at making Kwali open defecation free. A team has been working there, and we have that hope before January 2024, FCT will have one local government that has been declared open defecation free”, she stressed